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Nick De Leon gubernatorial campaign, 2018
The 2018 Wisconsin gubernatorial campaign of Nick De Leon was informally announced via Facebook on November 10, 2017. De Leon was running to seek the Wisconsin Green Party nomination to participate to get his name on Wisconsin county ballots in the general election. Following the Wisconsin Green Party's 2018 Spring Gathering to decide on candidate endorsements, De Leon's opponent Michael White was chosen over him, leading to De Leon's loss of the Green Party nomination for Governor. On June 19, 2018, De Leon officially suspended his campaign and endorsed Democrat Matt Flynn for Governor. Turning 22 years old on the days of the general election and inauguration, De Leon could have been the youngest Governor to take office and surpassing the previous record by Leonard J. Farwell who was inaugurated at age 33, the first U.S. Governor to be born in the 1990s, Wisconsin's first Jewish Governor, first openly-gay U.S. Governor, first Native American U.S. Governor, and the first Green Bay native to hold the office. Background Nick De Leon was been an active member of the Democratic Party of Brown County in Wisconsin since 2015. In the years prior he identified as a Republican prior to 2014 and then no party affiliation from early March 2014 until possibly July 2015. Much of De Leon's adult life has been centered around community activism for LGBT rights in his hometown of Green Bay, Wisconsin, particularly establishing an LGBT affirming Christian ministry that he leads. De Leon never ran before for public office, however a now unpublished Facebook page from 2016 suggests that he intended to run for District 5 of the Brown County Board of Supervisors in 2018. History 'Announcement' De Leon informally declared his candidacy for the Democratic primary via Instagram on November 10, 2017. In his post he immediately criticised the Republican Party of Wisconsin for being inactive and blaming Governor Scott Walker for favoring feudalism and corporate interests. De Leon further writes: "I will let all who see this know loudly and clearly. If anyone is going to use "forward" as a campaign slogan, it's not Scott Walker, but will be me who will use it. I'm officially running for Governor of Wisconsin." 'Democratic primary months' One day after De Leon's announcement his campaign created their Facebook page and introduced it with posts regarding De Leon's criticism of Scott Walker's support of Foxconn contributing to state job growth, a Veteran's Day photo of his childhood self being taught to ride a bike by his father and a post showing his support to lower the drinking age in the state from 21 to 19 years. More work was done to organize his campaign with the introduction of his official campaign logo and publishing of his campaign platform. On November 26 his campaign store was opened on Zazzle featuring most usual campaign merchandise with prices lower than that of his Republican opponent, Scott Walker's campaign store. The price difference is shown even further when De Leon's campaign placed merchandise between 25-60% off compared to Walker's 20% on Cyber Monday which De Leon frequency mentioned on social media that day. According to the Candidate Tracking by Office list regularly updated by the Wisconsin Elections Commission, De Leon has filed his Campaign Registration Statement on November 29, 2017. His Statement of Economic Interests was also filed on December 11th and he is the the first candidate to do so. On January 2, 2018, De Leon's Declaration of Candidacy was filed with the WEC. 'Switch to the Green Party' As early as January 31, 2018 campaign logos and merchandise have been altered to a green color scheme. The following day on February 1, De Leon had videotaped himself mailing an amendment to change his party affiliation to the Green Party on his Campaign Registration form and Declaration of Candidacy. In the February 2, Facebook post featuring the video, De Leon wrote: "I have a major announcement regarding my status in the 2018 election for Wisconsin Governor. Over the last two months since declaring my candidacy for this election, I have been facing neglect and hostility from members of the Democratic Party, ranging from disapproval from an assemblyman to being denied access to a forum that could've given me a chance to make an impact in party politics in the State of Wisconsin. I have decided that because of this disapproval from a political party that's grown in favor of elitism and placing profits over people, I have decided that I will continue my race for Governor under the ticket of the Green Party. This may be disappointing to some who are following my campaign as it sounds that I could've had a chance continuing as a Democrat, but too many in the party are hostile towards the political movement that I believe in, social democracy and personal freedom. With this in mind, I don't anticipate any change to my current platform to conform with the Green Party as my political views fall in between both their party and the liberal faction of the Democratic Party as the only change that can happen to my platform will only be based on future issues that can come up within the next nine months of the election. I am still willing to correspond with Democrats on many issues, however their views on domestic, economic, and in some cases environmental policy just simply do not resonate with me and the many voters living in Wisconsin and I'm not the first person Democratic leadership has rejected. I along with many progressive candidates and voters make a fair warning that if those like myself choose to fallout from the Democrats, they prove that there is a lot wrong with their system that needs to be fixed." His party switch was recognized with the Wisconsin Election Commission on February 2, 2018. Three days after the official party switch, De Leon had followed up on his announcement stating his reason to switch was because he "wanted to influence the Democratic Party and help them win, especially in Republican strongholds like the Fox Valley, however they simply refused to listen to my ideas even when they shut me up after saying that I was running in their primary for Governor." He later goes on to say that he can help the Green Party become a more powerful party that could get the working-class vote. 'Michael White endorsed by party' On May 4, 2018, the Wisconsin Green Party announced that Michael White would be endorsed by the party. White, a former co-chair of the Wisconsin Greens had declared candidacy weeks before the party's Spring Gathering held April 28. A day after the announcement, De Leon posted on his Facebook page his criticism of White, writing: "Yesterday I have received news from the Wisconsin Green Party that I am not receiving their endorsement for Governor of Wisconsin and I feel that Michael White is a rather questionable choice for Greens to make. To be honest, I have been unaware until three weeks ago that Michael White was even my opponent in the Green Party primary because he had not been registered with the Wisconsin Elections Commission, nor were any campaign media relevant to him until the announcement of the Green Party Spring Gathering last week, April 28th. I get the man has been part of the Wisconsin Green Party longer than I have and was the co-chair, but I don't feel this is the person Greens can look to without being pragmatic of our party's weaknesses. The questions I'd like to ask Mr. White is whether he has any understanding of the issues facing Wisconsin. Based on his speech in the link I included, I feel that he isn't prepared to lead the Greens in the gubernatorial election in 2018 if he cannot speak in regards to the adversity of the Foxconn Corporation and the damage they will do to Lake Michigan and our lands. Will he address the need to repeal Assembly Bill 499 which allows toxic sulfide ore mining? Will he expand anti-discrimination protections for transgender Wisconsinites, protect the Unfair Sales Act to protect small family owned businesses from big corporations, and convert BadgerCare+ to a single-payer healthcare system? I appreciate that he has a platform he believes in, but they sound like issues that reflect what should be done in Washington, not Madison, Milwaukee or Green Bay. I would be glad to support Michael for what he believes in if he was running for the U.S. Senate race, but not as a candidate for the Governor. I believe we do need to end the violence overseas, but this is a foreign policy issue, not a state domestic issue. I agree with Michael that the Republicans have done harm to education by making cuts in the State budget, but what are his plans to get us out of the deficit Scott Walker has made and surpass the numbers set by former Governor Jim Doyle? Again, I like what Michael White believes in, but I don't think the Governor's race is suitable for him. We need a Green Party candidate such as myself who has a greater understanding of what issues are really on the table in Wisconsin, a party that is willing to expand past the safe spaces of liberal strongholds into cities like Green Bay and Appleton, cities I know from being a native of Green Bay there is a growing base for us to prosper. If we want to fight the establishment of the Democratic and Republican parties, we need to branch out if we want to lead in Madison and Washington. I believe I am better suit for the nomination, and a leader who can make the Green Party a greater force for the greater good. Even if we can't get Michael on the ballot, I will continue my long and arduous campaign for Governor even if it means that I would have to continue as a write-in in November. I persist to fight for the Greens because I believe we can be a stronger party." De Leon claims that his loss to White was politically motivated by Jill Stein. 'Last month and suspension' De Leon failed to make up the 2,000 signatures necessary to get on the ballot after the filing window for nomination papers closed on June 5, 2018. While some sources considered that De Leon would continue as a write-in to compete with White, De Leon announced instead that he would suspend his campaign and endorse Milwaukee lawyer Matt Flynn for Governor over his opponent Michael White. Flynn is one of the ten major candidates in the Democratic primary for this race. His campaign was officially suspended by the Wisconsin Elections Commission the next day. 'Conclusion' White received 95.8% of the Green Party primary vote over scattering votes statewide in the August 14, 2018 while Matt Flynn finished with 5.9 percent (6th place) of the Democratic primary vote, with State School Superintendent Tony Evers winning the Democratic nomination. Though no longer a candidate for almost two months, it is believed De Leon could have received a majority of the scattering votes in the Green Party primary. Evers defeated the incumbent Governor Scott Walker in the general election. Michael White received 0.4 percent of the vote, placing fifth behind Evers, Walker, Libertarian Phil Anderson, and independent candidate Maggie Turnbull. It is not known at the moment if De Leon received votes despite no longer being a candidate as the Wisconsin Elections Commission will certify general election results on December 3, 2018. 'Green Party primary results' 'General election results' Tony Evers won the election by a 1.2% margin. Walker was the incumbent. Campaign 'Polling' Nick De Leon did not appear in any polling. A January 10th poll by Public Policy Polling for the Democratic primary did not place De Leon among the top nine major candidates for Governor, however the survey suggests that 28% of Democrats were undecided on their choice for a Democratic candidate and that 12% prefer a candidate that is a resident from outside the cities of Madison and Milwaukee. De Leon is a resident of the City of Green Bay. 'Forums' It is not known whether Nick De Leon has appeared in any gubernatorial forum. The Democratic Party of Outagamie County denied De Leon's request to appear in a forum organized by the party on January 17, 2018. 'Reception' Socialist and Green Party member Keith Brumley on Twitter criticized De Leon's endorsement of Democrat Matt Flynn, calling on De Leon to declare himself a Democrat. De Leon responded saying, "I didn't choose Matt Flynn to sell out to the Democrats. I'm very much still a Green and will refuse to take down my �� (Sunflower emoji, used on Twitter to identify with the Green Party). If Wisconsin Greens really cared about the Wisconsin Governor's race as much as I do, they wouldn't waste their vote on Michael White who doesn't seem to care about the issues." LGBT activist Justin Mitchell defended De Leon's decision to support Flynn by stating that De Leon believed White isn't up to par as a candidate and that Matt Flynn is much more Green Party than any moderate Democrat. Media coverage Early signs of media coverage for De Leon's campaign began on December 20, 2017 with a showcase article by the Wisconsin State Journal. 'Repeal and Replace Scott Walker' "Repeal and Replace Scott Walker" was a campaign slogan that was mainly used by Nick De Leon in his campaign. The "repeal and replace" phrase originated from its usage in 2017 by the Republican Party to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with a controversial American Health Care Act. The phrase was extended to include names of Republican politicians that were being challenged by some Democrats, specifically Randy Bryce who used it until his assumed opponent Paul Ryan decided to not run for re-election. De Leon first said the phrase on December 30, 2017 in a post regarding his opposition to Foxconn and the need to legislate labor laws. The phrase became regularly used on his Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by January 8th and was adopted as his official campaign slogan. After endorsing Matt Flynn for Governor, Flynn adopted the slogan on his twitter using the same #RepealAndReplaceScottWalker on July 31. The slogan is still used by De Leon to campaign for Democratic nominee Tony Evers and has been used in merchandise on his campaign store. Political positions De Leon is a social democrat, populist, and a progressive whom like his influence, Bernie Sanders, supports the Nordic model. Crime Gun violence De Leon supports closing the gun show loophole by requiring private dealers to perform background checks and checking with consumers if they have proper permits to own specific grades of guns. He also believes in a permit-to-purchase policy for state consumers to purchase guns, making comprehensive background checks while at the same time avoiding infringement on the rights of a gun owner. De Leon did previously support banning the sale of the Colt AR-15 semi-automatic rifle following the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016 and some firearm attachments after the Las Vegas shooting in October 2017, but it is currently unknown if his positions have changed regarding these sales bans in the campaign. De Leon believes in reversing a November 2017 bill that eliminated the minimum hunters age, which previously was set to 12 years of age in 2009, criticizing the National Rifle Association, the Republican Party of Wisconsin, and incumbent Governor Scott Walker for being incompent. De Leon is opposed to arming public and private school teachers with firearms and for armed guards to supervise schools, citing that it will worsen zero tolerance policies. Zero-tolerance policy De Leon is highly critical of zero tolerance policy due to its contribution to high incarceration rates of minors which he's made claim as an issue that has led to the investigation of the Lincoln Hills juvenile detention center. Economic issues Income inequality De Leon's campaign intends to fight the decreasing income of the middle and lower-classes. De Leon cites that the middle class has been in decline and the way to rebuild would be to restore workers unions and increase the state minimum wage. De Leon like many left-leaning politicians believe that Scott Walker legislating drug testing for food stamp recipients is a waste of tax payer money. He has also been critical of Walker's claim that low income individuals abuse the Nutrition Assistance Program SNAP program, which De Leon calls "another piece of right wing rhetoric to make people who need them seem like leeches and Boogeymen". One De Leon's campaign promises include increasing the state's minimum wage above the federal minimum wage to $15 dollars an hour. Taxes De Leon supports raising taxes on state capital gains and and the upper-class. Some of the added revenues will be used to lower for middle and lower-classes. 'Jobs' De Leon has been critical Scott Walker's approval of Foxconn making jobs in the state because it wouldn't benefit working-class Wisconsinites, suggesting that Walker views Wisconsin as a stock car. De Leon cites that there are greater issues that affect the state and that job growth can improve other issues including infrastructure and increasing the state minimum wage. Since January 11, 2018 De Leon believes eminent domain use was violated by Walker's administration to build the Foxconn plant and claims civil litigation should take place. De Leon promotes the creation of thousands of jobs by investing in infrastructure, particularly in the areas of maintenance of state roads, highways, bridges, and hydroelectric dams. He also supports legislation to make it easier for workers to join or form unions. As part of his "Make Infrastructure Sexy Again" agenda, De Leon also intends to fund infrastructure projects by tax increases on the top 1% of tax paying citizens. De Leon opposes corporate tax cuts and suggests that Governor Scott Walker has direct ties to David and Charles Koch, billionaire brothers that are disliked by liberal voters. De Leon supports subsidizing of small family farms over large corporate farms to stimulate the state's dairy industry and supports the Unfair Sales Act to protect small businesses. 'Education' De Leon supports making admission to all colleges in the University of Wisconsin education system tuition free. He is also opposed to cuts to public education, especially in college fields such as political science. Environmental issues De Leon is opposed to Assembly Bill 499 which eliminates a "mining moratorium" or mining prohibition on the issuance of permits for sulfide ore mining the adverse affects of sulfide mining and its potential to contaminate environments and form sinkholes. The monikered "Mining for America" bill was signed into law by Governor Scott Walker on December 11, 2017. De Leon has also been critical of Walker's decision to file a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency against the organization's carbon emission regulations. De Leon supports EPA regulations. In regards to the environmental impact of Foxconn, De Leon is critical of the electronics company being allowed by the state to divert 7 million gallons of water from Lake Michigan with 2.7 million being either evaporated or incorporated in electronic products. Besides referring to Foxconn as a waste of tax dollars, De Leon believes the money should've been invested in renewable energy and protecting ecosystems. De Leon also believes that Foxconn can present major pollution problems for crops and hospitalizing individuals. De Leon believes the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources should be headed by scientists specific to researching the protection of natural environments. As a result of water contamination from a firefighting training facility in Marinette, Wisconsin, De Leon states that Firefighters should switch from using AFFF foam to biodegradable protein foam for use in extinguishing fires without contaminating soil and water. De Leon supports strict hound hunting regulations and penalties against hunting animals below their adult age. 'Government reform' One day before the April 3, 2018 Nick De Leon urged voters to vote no on a referendum to eliminate the Wisconsin State Treasury office, citing that the duties of the office would be transferred to the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands which would give the commission partisan control over public lands. The votes favored no with 62% of the vote. 'Campaign finance reform' De Leon believes political campaigns should not receive funding from corporations or super PACS, but rather be funded by individual donors. Some of his response not only comes from being a position supported by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, but also because of convenience store chain Kwik Trip donating $99,000 dollars to Scott Walker's campaign which De Leon claims Walker will give Kwik Trip $21 million dollars in tax giveaways. 'Partisan gerrymandering' De Leon supports establishing a non partisan redistricting organization similar to the California Citizens Redistricting Commission to resolve the controversial issue of partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin for fair boundaries for Assembly and Senate districts. Healthcare De Leon is a strong supporter of a universal healthcare system and intends to convert BadgerCare Plus into a single-payer healthcare system. Social issues Racial justice De Leon supports racial justice for racial minorities, particularly for African Americans living in Wisconsin. His campaign cites that the incarceration rate for African Americans is almost twice the national average at 13% and that racial profiling has been a chronic issue in Milwaukee. De Leon since 2016 has supported Black Lives Matter. Marijuana legalization De Leon has been a supporter of legalizing medical and recreational marijuana. On his platform, he would legislate a comprehensive bill to legalize cannabis at both levels and provide protections including employment and housing. De Leon also suggests that the legal status of cannabis should be regulated in the same way alcohol is treated. De Leon supported the passing of Senate Bill 119 which would legalize industrial cannabis in Wisconsin because it would open opportunities for Wisconsin farmers to expand their profit. LGBT Rights De Leon is an openly-gay man and is the Head Pastor of De Leon LGBT Christian Ministries, an LGBT affirming religious organization he founded in 2015. In August 7, 2014, De Leon signed Wisconsin Unites for Marriage, a coalition for same-sex marriage in the state of Wisconsin. On October 22, 2014, De Leon joined the UW-Green Bay's SAGA, a Gay-Straight Alliance. On May 9, 2015 De Leon signed political consultant, Carol Dahmen's petition to bar Matthew G. McLaughlin from being the Attorney General of Orange County, California and practicing law in the state. De Leon signed it in response to McLaughlin's controversial Sodomite Suppression Act which states that if someone's to commit to homosexual acts, the person is to be lethally executed. Since the establishment of De Leon LGBT Christian Ministries, he had built connections with various local LGBT organizations and businesses in Green Bay, Wisconsin including the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. In March 24, 2016, De Leon advised North Carolina governor Pat McCrory to reconsider his decision the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act (House Bill 2) which he signed into law the day before. The bill eliminates anti-discrimination protections for LGBT and genderqueer people, and legislates that individuals may only use restrooms that correspond to the sex on their birth certificates. De Leon warned McCrory of a potential "horrific mess" that was to impact the state and to not place himself on the wrong side of history. McCrory refused to listen to De Leon and the state of North Carolina faced a $500,000 loss in the state's Disaster Relief Fund and a 0.1% state GDP loss. McCrory was defeated by State Attorney General Roy Cooper by a margin of 10,257 votes in the state's 2016 Gubernatorial election. As part of his 2018 campaign, De Leon places a greater emphasis on legislating for additional protections for transgender people, especially in the areas of jobs, housing, adoption, and the ability for one to legally change one's gender, including nonbinary identities without the requirement of sex reassignment surgery. Endorsements 'Endorsements for Nick De Leon' This is a list of notable individuals and organizations who are implied to have endorsed Nick De Leon as the Green Party candidate for the 2018 Wisconsin gubernatorial election. 'Municipal officials' *Shawn Rolland, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin School Board President 'Organizations' *Green Party of New Jersey *Green Party of Virginia 'Notable individuals' *Seth Kaper-Dale, former Green Party candidate for the 2017 New Jersey gubernatorial election. 'Endorsements made by Nick De Leon' Though a Green Party candidate, De Leon has endorsed five Democrats, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin who is seeking re-election, ironworker Randy Bryce for Wisconsin's 1st congressional district in the House of Representatives, Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Tim Burns in his primary and later his opponent Rebecca Dallet who won the Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice race on April 4, Caleb Frostman who won his race for Wisconsin's 1st State Senate district and Kevin de León (not related to Nick De Leon) for the Democratic primary in the U.S. Senate race in California. De Leon's last endorsement before suspending his campaign was for Matt Flynn for Governor. From his own party De Leon has endorsed Yogesh Chawla for District 6 of the Dane County, Wisconsin Board of Supervisors and won the race with 52.6 percent of the vote. Gallery De Leon for Wisco logo.png|Campaign logo De Leon for Wisco (blue).png|Logo on blue background De Leon for Wisco square logo.png|De Leon for Wisco logo De Leon for Wisco logo (green on white).png|Modified green logo. Released January 31, 2018. De Leon for Wisco logo (green icon).png|De Leon for Wisco logo. Modified Green on January 31, 2018. Point Blur Jan082018 183600.jpg De Leon campaign full body.jpg De Leon campaign closeup.jpg External links * Nick De Leon - Ballotpedia * Nick De Leon for Governor - Facebook * Nick De Leon's official Twitter account * Nick De Leon's official Instagram account References Category:Wisconsin Category:Politics Category:Nick De Leon